Ghost in This Castle
by Magic-And-A-Tardis
Summary: Time has moved on, but Merlin stays the same. Camelot still stands, but not under the rule of Pendragons. Oneshot.
1. Prologue

**I was listening to the radio, most definitely not procrastinating, and Shenandoah's Ghost in This House came on. Lo and behold, the plot bunnies attacked. I hope you enjoy!**

**As usual, many thanks to my partner-in-crime Cawel for betaing this for me.**

**Please review! Virtual neckerchiefs to all!**

**...**

Merlin glided through the halls, his footsteps as silent as ever. He had remained in the castle since Arthur died at Camlann. About a hundred years after Arthur died, four magic users had unknowingly discovered the crumbling remains of Camelot. They had rebuilt it and turned it into a school for magic. Merlin smiled sadly, Uther would be rolling over in his grave to know that his castle which had persecuted magic users was now a safe-hold. Nobody knew of the castle's history though, that had been lost to time.

Merlin watched the students bustling to and fro, running from class to class. His mind drifted back to a different time, where servants hurried back and forth rather than students. One day that time would come again, one day his king would return.


	2. Chapter One

**Hey y'all! As promised, here's the first chapter. Surprise! It didn't take a year. I'm going to get the second chapter up soon, it's started, but I haven't finished it yet. Since it's November, and NaNoWriMo, I have made this my project. Before you get your hopes up, no, I won't have this fic finished by the end of the month. We're 10 days in and I've already failed. However, I am shooting for 15,000 words by the end of the month, and I think I can do that. Not much I know, but I'm in the middle of moving, and that's the best I can do at the moment.**

**Thank you so much for the reviews and follows! I always end up smiling like an idiot for half the day after seeing the emails.**

**Sorry, I'm rambling now! Enjoy the chapter and tell me what you think!**

...

July, 1980

Merlin shot up out of bed, startled by the dream he had just had. In the Three Broomsticks, a prophecy had just been recited. There would be a boy born at the end of July, destined to vanquish the Dark Lord. The Old Religion wanted Merlin to help the boy defeat Voldemort. There was something else though, the Old Religion also wanted the Malfoy boy, Draco, to be saved from his terrible fate. He had a dark road ahead of him, but with luck, Merlin would be able to help him.

He stood up, there was no use going back to sleep. He looked around the room, contemplating his new destiny. If he was to help the Chosen One and the Malfoy boy, he had better get to work.

…

Traveling to the Crystal Cave was not as easy as it had once been. After Arthur died, the Old Magic declined, with only a few places that contained Old Magic remaining. Only practitioners of the Old Religion could pass through the wards. Merlin trekked up the hill to the mouth of the cave which was hidden by a wall of ivy. He always hated going to the Crystal Cave, once inside he would be assaulted by a wave of visions. Usually it showed him painful moments in his life, such as Arthur's death and Morgana's poisoning. He tried to avoid the place if he could; usually it showed him nothing useful. How could it when his life was on repeat? Settle down, live a quiet life, move on when people started asking why he didn't age. It was always the same story.

As expected, Merlin was blasted by visions as soon as he stepped into the cave. Some of the past, thankfully nothing too bad, but most were of the future. The visions showed the Potter's son to be the Chosen One, and the rugged path he had ahead of him. Merlin was shown Lily and James being murdered by Voldemort, then Voldemort being killed by Harry after the killing curse rebounded on him. Something was left behind though. Merlin recoiled when he realized that the boy would unintentionally be made into a horcrux. He knew of the horcruxes Voldemort had created, as a creature of magic he could feel their vile presence at all times. This was unheard of though. A horcrux inside of another human being should be impossible!

Suddenly the crystals flared back to life. Draco's face popped up. He looked to be about five, sitting in front of his father. His father was preaching about family honor and that he should be proud to be a pureblooded wizard. Draco listened intently, hanging onto his father's every word. The crystals changed. Draco was in his first year, holding something in his hand and taunting Harry. Another flash and Draco was shown in his second year, bullying a girl with curly hair. The visions sped up, until they slowed down to show Draco in his sixth year with a Dark Mark on his left arm, then standing atop the astronomy tower, pointing his wand at Dumbledore. Then the crystals went black.

Knowing what he had to do, Merlin left the Crystal Cave. He would protect and aid the Potter boy, and keep Draco from becoming a Death Eater.

…

Merlin stayed at Hogwarts, waiting for the boys to turn eleven. When the Founders had discovered Camelot's remains, Merlin cast wards over his and Gaius's room. The rooms were hidden behind a portrait of Camelot, which only the touch of an Old Magic user could open. Merlin wandered around the castle in his spare time, catching up on the gossip and the events going on in the Wizarding World, though he stayed invisible. Nobody knew he existed except for the ghosts. While they didn't know who he was, they kept his secret.

As time for the boys to enroll in Hogwarts crept closer, Merlin's anticipation grew. He often wondered what the future held in store for him and why the Old Religion had deemed this the time for Merlin to become active in society again. He hoped that Arthur would be return, but visits to the Lake of Avalon to gain more information were fruitless. It seemed that Merlin would continue to wait for his king.

…

September 1, 1991

Today was finally the day. Merlin would be able to see Harry and Draco in the flesh, and hopefully change their destinies for the better. The sorting was about to start, so Merlin ventured towards the Great Hall, using the servant's corridor. Despite the castle being completely rebuilt, there were still some things that remained, such as the servant's corridors and the Great Hall. The servant's corridors led to the front of the Great Hall, just behind the teachers. It offered a great view of the Sorting, while still allowing Merlin to hear what the teachers were saying.

The students started filing in, first the older students then the first years. Upon entering the hall, the first years stopped and gaped at the room. Professor McGonagall placed a stool in the center of the room and set the Sorting Hat on top of it. Merlin leaned against the wall, allowing his eyes to slip closed for a second. Every year the Hat's songwas the same. Seriously, did he ever get bored of singing the same song over and over again?

The Hat's brim split open, and began to sing.

Oh you may not think I'm pretty, But don't judge on what you see, I'll eat myself if you can find A smarter hat than me. You can keep your bowlers black, Your top hats sleek and tall, For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat And I can cap them all. There's nothing hidden in your head The Sorting Hat can't see, So try me on and I will tell you Where you ought to be. You might belong in Gryffindor, Where dwell the brave at heart, Their daring, nerve, and chivalry Set Gryffindors apart; You might belong in Hufflepuff, Where they are just and loyal, Those patient Hufflepuffs are true And unafraid of toil; Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind, Where those of wit and learning, Will always find their kind; Or perhaps in Slytherin You'll make your real friends, Those cunning folks use any means To achieve their ends. So put me on! Don't be afraid! And don't get in a flap! You're in safe hands (though I have none) For I'm a Thinking Cap!

The Hat's brim snapped shut, and Professor McGonagall began to call off the names on the list. "Abbot, Hannah!" Merlin tuned out most of the Sorting, preferring to listen in on the teacher's conversation. It was mostly mundane chatter, but one man in particular intrigued him. Qarrel? No, Quirell, that was his name. His magical aura was tainted by dark magic. Merlin made a mental note to investigate him later.

Merlin's attention snapped back to the Sorting when a familiar name was called. "Malfoy, Draco!" Merlin watched with interest as the boy walked up to the Hat, shoulders thrown back and head held high. Despite trying to act confident, Merlin could tell that the boy was nervous. Draco sat down on the stool and the hat was placed on his head. Not a second later, the hat yelled "SLYTHERIN!" The Slytherin table erupted into cheers as Draco walked over with a smirk.

Next up was Harry. The boy looked nervous, like he wished he was anywhere but here. Harry sat down in the stool, and Professor McGonagall placed the hat upon his head. A few minutes passed before the hat yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!" Harry leapt off the stool with a relieved look on his face, scurrying towards the Gryffindor table to sit next to a red-headed boy.

Merlin tuned out the rest of the Sorting, and instead watched Quirrell. He was an odd man, very jumpy. Certainly not the next dark lord. He continued to watch Quirrell fidget and make meager attempts at casual conversation to Professor Sprout, but didn't see anything else suspicious about the man.

Dumbledore stood up to announce the start of the feast, causing the chatter of the Great Hall to die down to a murmur. "Welcome to Hogwarts! There is a time for speeches, but this is not it. Tuck in!" He waved his hand, and mounds of food filled the platters on the tables. Merlin laughed as the students began filling their plates, most of the first years looked like it was a dream come true.

After watching the feast for a few minutes, Merlin decided that he had learned all he could. Until Quirrell made a move, Merlin could only sit back and watch him. He turned and left, as silent as he had entered, and returned to his room nestled in the heart of the castle.

...

**Hopefully it didn't suck too much. This is a slow chapter in general, I promise it'll pick up soon! **

**As always, please leave a review, and feel free to tell me if something needs to be fixed. I love constructive criticism.**

**If there are any scenes that you would like to see in the story, let me know! I have an outline for this story, but there are a lot of open areas that I can slide things into.**

**Thanks for reading!**


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